The Reason Why
by LostWyrda
Summary: After the talismans are found, Haruka leaves. What happens to Michiru? Will Haruka return?


**The Reason Why**

It was a cloudless night, the soft light poured by the moon shining down on the deserted beach, falling on a lone figure standing by the shoreline.

---

It was late.

Kaioh Michiru was perfectly conscious of that. Still, she felt a strange (or maybe not so strange considering who she was) impulse to come to the beach on this particular night. She couldn't help but gaze longingly to the sea, her confident, thinking about the events that had transpired barely a week ago.

Barely a week…

Had it already been a week? Was it really a week ago that the talismans had appeared? Was it really a week ago that she had, even if just for a short while, died? Had it really been a week since she last saw her partner?

That thought came allied with a pang of pain, followed by a certain felling of despair. Why? Why was the question that Tenoh Haruka, Sailor Uranus, her partner, her _best friend_, had asked her the moment they were left alone. A short, whispered question that had triggered a fight like none they had ever had before. A fight that had made her friend leave, without a word about where she was headed or even if she was coming back. The racer had taken nothing with her besides her car keys, and had left nothing but the loud bang of the door and the emptiness that had since then consumed Michiru. The violinist flinched slightly, remembering that cursed moment and a tear escaped her unknowingly.

The sea seemed to respond to her pain, the water gently lapping at her feet, almost as if it was trying to soothe her, and she allowed a small smile to grace her face. The first real smile since _then_. If before people had thought her strange, cold, aloof, a snob to wrap it up, she wondered what they thought of her know (not that she cared).

Strangely, the days had gone by quickly. To Kaioh Michiru, the talented violinist and painter, this past week had been oddly full, having had three exams at school, plus two concerts and an art exhibit on the side, nothing that she couldn't handle. To Neptune, the Senshi of the sea, the past week had been oddly empty, as there had been no youma activity (probably due to the fact that the Holy Grail had finally appeared and was in Senshi possession), even though she went out looking for them, in hope that she would see her partner.

Only this week had she realized how much time she spent with Haruka. In almost every waking hour, whenever something felt wrong or when she was simply bored, she turned her head, her lips already forming her name, before it hit her. She wasn't there. Everywhere she went, people asked about the blonde, certainly trying to be "polite", but she found their "concern" to be quite irritating. Couldn't they just let her be? Couldn't they just see that she didn't want to talk about it? Still, she said nothing about her thoughts, answering the never-ending questions with brief replies, forcing a fake smile out, even as she started hearing people whisper in not-so-low voices about the wonder couple's break-up. No, she held everything inside of her and tried to act calmly.

It wasn't until Tsukino Usagi, no Sailor Moon, asked what was going on, if everything was alright, showing more concern that anyone before her, that she finally snapped. She still remembered the girl's face, which shined with fear and surprise, silently staring at her, the rest of the Senshi standing behind her gapping at the raging Neptune, while she ranted on and on, releasing her frustration on the kids, until she felt her throat sore and left them, feeling a bit lighter.

That feeling didn't last, regret and shame filling her the moment she got home. It got worse when, two days after her outburst, this time Tsukino Usagi approached her after her art exhibit, while she was playing her beloved violin in a deserted park, trying to vent off, and asked her again, clearly and firmly, in a voice that didn't sound like the whining 15 year-old girl she knew, what was going on. She tried to hold it, but the moment she looked in the girl's eyes, so filled with worry and unlimited compassion, eyes that she remembered from her dreams, from her past life she had realized, she broke.

Usagi had held her while she, between broken sobs, told her what happened. She held her until the aqua haired girl felt she could cry no more, whispering gentle words of comfort while softly stroking her heaving back. Afterward, when Michiru had somewhat composed herself, they went to a café and, while sipping on a cup of tea, Usagi listened quietly whilst the violinist told her about when she first awoke, when she searched for her partner, how she and Haruka had met… Michiru talked about everything she could think off, Usagi smiling and frowning and laughing at times, even telling the blonde girl about their promise and before she knew it, two hours had gone by and night had fallen. The blonde quickly got to her feet, hugged her and left running, muttering something about getting punished, while the artist sat amused at the girl's antics, feeling like a weight had been lifted from her chest.

Before she knew it, two days had gone by and it was the night of her concert. Earlier that day, she had made a decision. Still having received no message from Haruka, she decided to send her one and she would use _her_ element to deliver it. Thus, she went to the beach and sent out a prayer, begging the wind to tell it's master that she was sorry and needed to talk with her. She stayed there for nearly an hour before leaving, her heart filled with hope.

Later, during the concert when she was called to play, she quickly scanned the crowd while bowing, feeling her heart shatter when she didn't recognize the messy blonde mop of hair anywhere. She lifted her violin and closed her eyes, willing the sudden tears that burned in them to disappear and started playing. The crowd immediately went silent, hypnotized by the soft, mournful melody that the violin cried, no one taking notice of how pale and saddened the violinist's face suddenly became. Michiru's mind swirled while she played, the same thoughts resonating again and again: _She didn't come. She doesn't care_, and Michiru started feeling more and more sick.

Then, right when she was about to excuse herself and leave, she felt someone's eyes boring into her frame. Her insides fluttered and she bit her lip. _Haruka. _She didn't dare open her eyes, fearing that such action would scare her friend away and instead started playing with a renewed fire, trying to show the blonde everything she felt through her music. When the concert was over, her manager snatched her arm and dragged her along with him, yammering about how wonderfully she had played, how beautiful the melody was and how much passion she had shown. Michiru turned her head to the hall, but found it empty. She sighed and let her manager drag her away to the after party, feeling slightly happier than she had during the whole week.

The party dragged on for hours, those that had seen her play previously telling her that they had never seen her so passionate before and those that hadn't, telling her that they wouldn't miss another concert. All in all, her manager, Yamada Toya, deemed the night quite satisfying, saying that he had received numerous requests for her to play in many places, apparently not realizing that Michiru was paying him very little attention. She had been distracted all evening, feeling she was being watched, and knowing exactly who it was that was watching her. She could sometimes feel like the racer was standing behind her, the feeling making her turn abruptly from whoever she was talking to, but she couldn't see her anywhere.

So, feeling a bit disappointed, Michiru said goodbye to her manager and went to the beach, late at night. She took her heels off and walked around the shoreline, the water cooling her feet and soothing the dull pain in them due to her shoes. And while she gazed at the sea, she lost herself in her thoughts, standing there with her eyes glazed, absorbing everything around her, the familiar scent and feel of the ocean relaxing her.

And then she felt her. A shiver ran down her spine, her skin prickling with goosebumps. She willed her lungs to fill with air before she slowly turned around. There she was. Standing less than 6 feet away from her. Michiru drank in the way her partner was dressed, wearing a black dress shirt with the first three buttons undone along with black dress pants, a red tie hanging loosely around her neck, while she noticed Haruka doing the same to her, taking in her tight, backless, dark blue dress that reached her mid-calf, swallowing when she noticed her partner's eyes darkening slightly. The racer's eyes continued their journey over her body until ocean blue clashed with stormy green. The air left her lungs in a rush and she forgot everything she wanted to tell her. How she had missed those eyes.

"Haruka…" she breathed out slowly.

And something seemed to snap inside the blonde. She quickly cut the distance between them, her hand reaching to hold the violinist's elbow, gently pulling her towards her while Michiru held onto her upper arm, steadying herself.

"Michiru…" the pianist whispered huskily, their eyes never parting. They hang there, staring at each other intently, emotions traveling between them, displayed openly for the other to see.

And then their lips met. They froze, their eyes still locked, before they parted slowly, their foreheads touching. Haruka exhaled and Michiru's eyes dropped to the racer's parted lips, her own falling open involuntarily, feeling butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She ran her hands up her partner's arms while tipping her head slightly while the racer's face got closer again.

This time, their lips met and held. Haruka didn't hesitate and ran her tongue over the painter's lips, feeling them open for her, their tongues meeting for the very first time, and they both saw white. They moaned, their arms suddenly latching around the other and they pressed tightly together, passionately kissing without caring about what happened around them. The wind picked up and the sea roared, their elements meeting with the same intensity that their masters' did.

Haruka cupped Michiru's cheeks, moving her face so that she could kiss her deeper, and Michiru laced her arms around the racer's neck, her fingers tangling in tousled blonde strands, pulling Haruka's face more towards her own. Their lips pressed tightly together once more before they broke apart breathing harshly, their eyes still closed and their bodies still contacting.

"Ruka…"

"Michi, Michi, Michi…"

And their lips melted together again in a soft, tender kiss, the smell of the sea capturing them in the moment. They broke apart and held each other strongly, their cheeks rubbing together. Michiru breathed in Haruka's scent, smiling softly while she felt her doing the same. She pulled away slowly from the racer's hold and connected their eyes again, the same soft smile still gracing her features. Her smile got bigger when she saw the way the blonde's eyes shinned with utmost love, but she frowned when she felt the way Haruka's arms suddenly tightened their hold around her body and how the pianist's eyes suddenly shone with regret and hurt, seeing the racer fighting to tell her something.

"Gomen, Michi, I shouldn't have left. It's just… I just… You just threw yourself in front of me and I…" Haruka's hands rose to Michiru's face, cupping her cheeks and whipping away the single tear that fell from her eye. "…and I had to watch you die. I didn't…"

Michiru's finger in her lips stopped her. "Shh Ruka…" she whispered while touching her forehead with the racer's. They closed their eyes, basking in the feeling of finally being able to hold each other.

"Do you still want to know why?" Michiru whispered softly, affectionately rubbing her nose against Haruka's. Feeling the blonde nod, she kissed her again, a slow, deep kiss, before parting and breathing against the pianist's lips,

"Do you know understand?"

She felt Haruka's lips smiling against her own and she smiled too, feeling a surge of happiness from deep inside her when she heard the soft admission that came from her partner's mouth.

"I love you too Michi… and I'll never leave you again."

They kissed once more, holding each other closely, the only witnesses to the moment being their elements and the moon, which shined down on them with a seemingly brighter light.

---

On the other side of town, a blonde girl with deep blue eyes grinned widely, feeling peace and understanding and love fill her, while her forehead shone with a crescent moon.

"Finally!" she whispered, before snuggling under her covers, falling asleep with a grin still present in her face.

**AN**

_Hi! Hope you liked my first fanfic, which ended up being bigger than I thought it would xD. Sorry for any spelling mistakes, English is not my mother language._

_Oh and about Usagi… I think that she knows and understands more than she seems to, and that if one of the Senshi(two in this case ;) finds the one she's destined to be with, Usagi will know it and will, in a way, feel it, hence the last scene with the whole forehead shining._

_Well, thanks for reading and until next time!_

_LostWyrda_


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